Chapter 152: Nash's Transaction

The next day at nine in the morning, He Zhongqiu got up, had breakfast and then took a nap, sleeping until noon before getting up.

When I went downstairs, I saw Michael Jordan, Julia Roberts, and Anne Hathaway. We had made an appointment last night to play mahjong this afternoon and continue in the evening.

Mary had prepared lunch and we started right after we had eaten.

He Zhongqiu didn't play mahjong. He had to continue to rest. Playing mahjong too much can easily cause a stroke.

Jordan asked as he played: "Wolverine, you guys are likely to be swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. It will be good enough if you can win one game."

He Zhongqiu said unconvincedly: "Michael, are you so pessimistic about us?"

"bump."

Jordan touched the 20,000 and threw the 10,000 away, saying, "Kidd is not Billups. His ability to control the court is not comparable to Billups's, and his defense is also stronger. Your organizational function will be completely frozen by him."

At 10 o'clock, TNT TV station broadcast the results of the NBA league's best team selection.

The first team that came out was the best defensive team, and as expected, he was not on the list.

Then comes the best lineup, and the first to be announced is the third lineup.

Jordan said: "Wolverine, you only have two competitors for the center position, O'Neal and Ben Wallace. You are either second or third."

Julia Roberts said: "The best team should be more about offense. Ben Wallace was just selected to the first team of defense. It's good to be selected to the best third team. The best second team should go to the Wolverines."

"I think so," Jordan laughed.

"Second formation?"

He Zhongqiu laughed.

Sure enough, his name was not among the three lineups, and the one who appeared in the three lineups was Ben Wallace.

Three minutes later, his name was listed in the best second team.

"Congratulations. Many All-Stars never have the chance to receive such an honor in their entire careers." Jordan said as he casually threw out a $20,000 note.

"Twenty thousand, it's a win."

Roberts pushed his cards.

Jordan was stunned, then looked at his cards. Damn, one card was for 10,000, one was for 20,000, and two were for 30,000. The one he wanted to play was 30,000, not 20,000.

"Julia, I called the wrong number, really," he said to Roberts seriously.

"Michael, be quick and pay." Roberts stretched out his little hand.

"Haha."

He Zhongqiu looked over and burst out laughing.

At this time, Scott Layden was in his office thinking about offseason lineup adjustments.

As for the head coach, he has already decided to use the Smiling Assassin Isaiah Thomas, which is also the request of the boss Dolan.

In terms of lineup, he wants to trade the madman whose form is declining.

He hopes to add a small forward who is good at breakthroughs on the outside, who will be responsible for connecting the inside and outside lines.

The reason why he is not the No. 2 position is because Alan Houston's billion-dollar contract is difficult to trade.

Moreover, the Wolverines may not be able to practice mid-range shooting next season. In addition to Kurt Thomas' mid-range shooting, Alan Houston's stable mid-range shooting is also what the team needs.

As for the point guard position, he wants to trade for a first-class point guard who is good at passing and breaking through, as well as defense and three-point shooting.

The requirements are high, and there are very few point guards like this, or even only a few.

One is Kidd, whom the Nets will definitely not trade.

Another is veteran Payton, who has a chance. Payton was traded to the Bucks by the SuperSonics during the season and his contract has ended.

But Payton is almost 35 years old and does not match the Wolverines, so he is not his first choice.

Baron Davis, the main point guard of the Hornets who was just eliminated by the Knicks, is a more suitable candidate than Payton. He is only 24 years old, is very good at dribbling and cutting in, and has strong ability in quick stop and jump shots. He can fully meet the requirements of the Smiling Assassin for the outside core.

Unfortunately, the Hornets will definitely not trade this point guard.

If he really can't find it, he also has lower-level considerations.

Among the requirements of passing and breaking through, defense and three-pointers, if you can meet the first two, and have the ability to make mid-range jump shots, it is okay to be a little worse at defense, as long as you are better than Howard Ellis.

For example, Nash of the Mavericks meets all the requirements except defense, and his contract has expired.

But Nash is already 29 years old, has a back injury, and he is a white man. It is hard to say how long he can play. Anyway, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is not optimistic about him and I heard that he is unwilling to renew his big contract.

If you really can't find a point guard, you can also find a shooting guard with strong ball-handling offensive ability, and then find a way to trade Alan Houston.

During the regular season, he had no intention of trading the mid-range shooting king, but in the first round of the series, the Wolverines' performance was more advantageous than that of the mid-range shooting king, which demonstrated the ability of the Knicks' new leader and core, so Alan Houston's value was greatly reduced.

Judging from his background, although the mid-range shooting king is the darling of New York, he is not as good as the Wolverines because the Knicks are the Wolverines' home team.

The only obstacle to trading Alan Houston is the remaining four years and $4 million in his super-large contract.

The Pacers need to rebuild, but they don't have anyone who is suitable for the Knicks. Artest, who is suitable, has been beaten by the Wolverines.

There is also news that the Trail Blazers are going to rebuild. This is a player supermarket that can be robbed. He plans to start with the Trail Blazers and seek a trade.

The Trail Blazers' swingman, 27-year-old troublemaker Bonzi Wells, still has one year and $700 million left on his contract with the Trail Blazers.

His weakness is that he doesn't have a three-point shot, but he has strong ability to break through with the ball, good low-post singles ability, good rebounding and good defense.

The contract is suitable and the ability meets his requirements for the power forward position. The only drawback is that he doesn't have a three-point shot and has a bad personality.

He planned to trade him back with Madman. After all, Madman was an All-Star for several years and still had some strength. He could also get a late first-round pick.

He also wanted to trade for the Trail Blazers' leader Rasheed Wallace, but his contract was too high, with one year and $1700 million left on it. The Knicks couldn't afford him unless they traded him for the mid-range shooting king.

He took out a piece of paper and wrote down some players' names and their annual salary for next season to calculate the space for next season.

First, Wolverine's name was written down. The contract will be re-signed after the playoffs. The salary cap for next season should be around 4300 million US dollars. Based on the ratio of 25%, Wolverine's annual salary will be 1075 million US dollars.

Then there's Alan Houston's $1594 million and Antonio McDyess, who should be back next season, with $1350 million.

This will be a multi-million dollar contract for the Knicks next season, with three in total, totaling $4019 million, which is almost close to the salary cap.

The salary cap is 48% of revenue. Based on the 55% luxury tax line, it will be around $4930 million next season. If it exceeds this number, you will have to pay a luxury tax.

"If McDyess can be traded, it would free up space."

It's not that the Knicks don't have money, but McDyess's injuries have made it impossible for him to return to his past. He is not worth tens of millions in annual salary and is just taking up space in vain.

According to league rules, even if the contract is bought out, if McDyess cannot find a new team, his contract will still occupy the Knicks' salary space.

If the Knicks find a new team after the buyout, then apart from the contract offered by the new team, they will only have to bear the difference in the middle, and this difference will still take up the team's salary space.

“It’s so annoying!”

He patted his head, regretting the two signings.

When he was in the Jazz, he had never been so extravagant. Even when he signed with the Postman, he tried to save as much as possible. But after coming to New York, he changed.

Now these two signings have become the biggest obstacles to the Knicks' reinforcement. McDyess is still okay, as he cannot be traded and his contract will end after next season.

But Alan Houston still has four seasons left on his contract. With the Wolverines' performance in the two rounds of the playoffs and their rapid improvement, can he wait four years?

"We need to find a way to trade the CIC king." He made up his mind.

In addition, it is said that Karl Malone is also planning to leave the Jazz. Can we bring him in? This kind of veteran who is fighting for the championship should only need a veteran minimum salary.

After much thought, he still decided to contact Payton and Karl Malone first. These were the two people who were easiest to get and there was no need to spend any transaction costs.

But I heard that Payton appeared at the Staples Center in the second round series. Could it be that he wants to join the Lakers?
Thinking of this, Layden began to look for the phone number of Payton's agent.

"Knicks wants me to come over?"

"Yes, Knicks President Layden called me personally. Gary, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and should be one of the teams you consider."

"Yes, Eastern Conference Finals, okay, I'll consider it."

In a hotel in Los Angeles, Gary Payton received a call from his agent.

After hanging up the phone, he began to consider the Lakers or the Knicks.

Not considering annual salary, he just wants to go to a championship-level team.

The Lakers are not necessarily his only choice, because the Lakers' lineup is aging this season and they are now tied 2-3 with the Spurs. If they lose again at home tonight, they will be eliminated.

In his judgment, the Lakers will most likely be eliminated by the Spurs.

He contacted Postman Malone and knew that Malone also chose to leave the Jazz and wanted to join a championship-level team like him.

So he had an idea that if Malone was willing to join the Lakers, he would also be willing to join the Lakers.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow and see how the Lakers perform tonight."

Between the Knicks and the Lakers, he still prefers the Lakers. After all, they have the OK combination, the OK combination in their peak period.

The Knicks only have a rookie Wolverine. Although they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, that was because the Eastern Conference was too weak. If the Knicks were in the Western Conference, they might not even make it to the second round.

"Hey, mailman, are you there yet?"

"Yes, I'm already in Los Angeles."

In the evening, Gary Payton and Karl Malone met at the hotel.

"Mailman, the Knicks contacted my agent, what about you?" Payton said when they met.

"He also approached me, but I didn't agree," said the postman.

"What do you think?" Payton asked.

"My first choice is still the Lakers. Although the Wolverines are good, the OK combination is more trustworthy." said the Postman.

"Well, if you join the Lakers, I'll join too."

"OK."

That night, two second-round series in the Western Conference began.

In the end, the Lakers lost at home and were eliminated with a score of 2-4, and the Spurs advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

The other game is a tiebreaker between the Mavericks and the Kings at home.

As a result, the Mavericks defeated the Kings at home and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

Karl Malone and Gary Payton watched the Lakers vs. Spurs game on site. After the game, Lakers General Manager Kupchak approached them and said to them sincerely:
"Carl, Gary, are you interested in joining us? We need players like you who are dominant at the four and one positions."

On the 17th, Layden received rejection calls from the agents of Karl Malone and Gary Payton.

The role of the postman to the Knicks is not that important, and point guard is what the Knicks need most. He immediately began to contact Nash's agent.

In fact, Kidd is the person he really wants. Nash's defensive black hole is too big a weakness. Just filling the gap for him is a big trouble.

Jason Kidd is the best active point guard in the league today and the leader of the Nets who eliminated the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. If Kidd can be recruited, the Knicks can be strengthened to the greatest extent while at the same time the Nets, their strong rival, can be disintegrated, killing two birds with one stone.

However, Kidd will become a free agent after the season. Kidd's rookie contract was for 9 years, so he definitely hopes to get a big contract this time, but the Knicks simply don't have the space.

"Oh, damn contract."

At this time, he deeply regretted signing McDyess and Alan Houston with such big contracts. Now these two contracts have tied the Knicks' hands and feet in strengthening their team.

The current solution is to find a way to trade these two people, as well as the madman, clear their big contracts, and then strengthen the lineup reasonably.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Layden, Steve still has one year left on his contract with the Mavericks and has not yet decided to leave."

"Yes, I know that. I will initiate a trade with the Mavericks. Before that, I want to know your attitude."

"Well, Steve hopes to get a five-year contract with an average annual salary of tens of millions."

Layden was a little surprised. Nash's stats this season are 17.7 points and 7.3 assists, which is just an ordinary All-Star. Isn't an annual salary of tens of millions too high?

The Knicks don't have no money, they have no space, so they can't offer such a high contract.

Of course, if McDyess can be traded for Nash, that's fine, but I'm afraid the Mavericks are not that stupid.

Although the trading window has not yet opened, private actions have already begun, so he immediately contacted Mavericks general manager Nelson and tentatively offered trading chips.

The Mavericks did not refuse, as they had the idea of ​​trading Nash. Cuban looked down on Nash, and there was also Nick Van Exel at the point guard position, so Nash was not the only one.

Nelson Jr. offered his chips, but not to McDyess, but to Kurt Thomas.

"Thomas? The Mavericks need to strengthen their low-post defense." Layden thought about it and agreed.

Although Kurt Thomas is good, the most urgent problem to be solved in the current lineup is the point guard position, who needs someone who can pass the ball to the Wolverines.

Nash still has one year left on his contract, but McDyess's 10 million contract will end next year, so the space can be given to Nash.

It's just a verbal discussion now. The specific transaction can only be negotiated after the trading window opens, and the completion of the transaction requires the end of the transaction freeze period.

After temporarily taking care of the number one position, he took out the roster lists of other teams in the league and began to check the situations of the number two and number three positions one by one.

Because Nash has no defense, he hopes to trade for players with good defense at the 2nd and 3rd positions to make up for the defensive gap on the outside.

He puts the Western Conference teams on the list because trades are easier.

The first team is the Spurs, who are ranked first in the Western Conference.

Positions 2 to 3 are all his targets, but he knows that the main players cannot be traded. Popovich is not a fool, so he only looks at the substitutes.

When I saw Ginobili, I thought he was okay. He has the ability to break through with the ball, a little bit of three-point shooting, and he works hard on defense. Plus, he is only nearly 26 years old. With a year or two of training, he can be a perfect match for the Wolverines.

After careful consideration, he wrote Ginobili's name on the trading list.

By the way, I checked the contracts of the Spurs players and suddenly found that the contract of the main shooting guard Stephen Jackson has expired and he will become a free agent after the playoffs.

He had Jackson's information sent in and after looking through it, he found out that he was a second-round pick in 97. After being selected by the Suns, he had no ball to play with and only joined the Nets in 00.

本赛季在马刺场均28.2分钟，11.8分3.6篮板2.8助攻1.6抢断，命中率43.5%，三分命中率32%。

In terms of characteristics, he is a tall guard who shoots from the wing and likes to pull up for the ball. Due to his height, he is prone to losing the ball when breaking through, and he cannot keep up with the speed on the defensive end.

"No, instead of trading him, it's better to continue using Alan Houston."

While Layden was racking his brains over how to trade and strengthen the second and third positions, the league officially announced the schedule for the Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals.

The Western Conference Finals starts on the 19th, and the Spurs have the home-court advantage, with a --- home and away system.

The Eastern Conference Finals starts on the 18th, and the Nets have the home advantage.

The Nets' previous home was on Long Island, but later moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, a small town with only a few thousand residents located in the suburbs of New York.

East Rutherford is only a dozen kilometers away from Manhattan, and the Knicks' training base is seventy or eighty kilometers away from Madison Square Garden. The distance is too close, which makes it convenient for the two teams to play away games, as they don't need to use planes or hotels.

At noon on the 18th, after lunch, He Zhongqiu drove to the training base and trained for an hour. At four o'clock in the afternoon, he took the team bus to East Rutherford.

Zhang Heli and his team, together with Yang Xue, Zhou Biao, Lin Cheng and a dozen other Chinese reporters, also formed a small convoy, but they did not set off until after dinner.

The 500 Knicks fans who went to watch the away game were similar. Most of them chose to have dinner before leaving.

(End of this chapter)